Spot work while unemployed?

[slackerinabox]

My entire department was laid off last Friday and I'm sending out resumes at an aggressive clip. I have 2 interviews coming up for spot work (video editing, the potential for a one time $$, not a steady income) - I completely intend to do everything legally required, including not claiming unemployment for any week doing spot work. But does this jeopardize my overall benefit? Or can I work odd jobs one week and return to unemployment the next? This is in NYC.

Thanks!

 

[Vette73]

MOST places you have to tell them how much money you make. Over a certain amount takes away from what you will get.

Say you get $500. anything you make over $100 comes off that. You make $200 one week. So you get $200 from work and now $400 from Unemployment.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Good luck with the search.

Also more details needed. I've been working the last four days (which means lots of time on Atot) and I haven't read any posts about your lay off.

 

[rudder]

Just check with the unemployment office in your state. They are the best place to ask. Me, I would ask to be paid in cash.

Ask for advice like this here and you will either A) end up in the slammer or B) Lose all your benefits and get kicked out of the state.

 

[nick1985]

Me, I would ask to be paid in cash.

this

 

[slackerinabox]

MOST places you have to tell them how much money you make. Over a certain amount takes away from what you will get.

Say you get $500. anything you make over $100 comes off that. You make $200 one week. So you get $200 from work and now $400 from Unemployment.

That's what I thought - so if one week I make enough to be illegible (which is fine, I don't want to double dip), I can claim benefits for the next week without issue or an additional wait week?

 

[DaWhim]

uh oh... sorry to hear that.

iirc, you are the same guy that bought a house in NYC recently, right? this really sucks, but hey you see why I against buying a house now.

 

[Vette73]

That's what I thought - so if one week I make enough to be illegible (which is fine, I don't want to double dip), I can claim benefits for the next week without issue or an additional wait week?

Thats how it worked for me when I was in NC many years ago and pulled unemployment for a short while.

Even if you make to much you still need to go online and file your claim. That way there are no breaks.

But file for your unemployment NOW. It takes time to start and keep good records of jobs you applied for as you need to show them you are activley looking for full time work.

 

[slackerinabox]

Good luck with the search.

Also more details needed. I've been working the last four days (which means lots of time on Atot) and I haven't read any posts about your lay off.

Thanks for the well wishes. Yeah, I haven't posted on ATOT since the lay off because I spent the weekend getting over it and Monday refreshing my resume and setting myself up for the job search... Oddly busy!

Ironically, just last week I posted here about how much I hated the lack of advancement and loyalty at my last employer. Looks like I was right, they laid off the entire web dev department, and probably plan on outsourcing. What SUCKS is that my new manager met with me last week to discuss my ideas for future development - yah, he was picking my brain a week before planning to lay me off... I feel particularly bad for my counterpart in a different division - her mom died, her dog died, and her long time boyfriend (of 30 years!) died, all in 2009. To give her the axe seemed particularly cruel to me.

Me? I was frustrated there anyways but was always too much of a coward to quit. Now I have about 7 weeks of pay (including pay out for vacation days) plus unemployment, so I'm not too worried.

 

[BoomerD]

That's what I thought - so if one week I make enough to be illegible (which is fine, I don't want to double dip), I can claim benefits for the next week without issue or an additional wait week?

Yes. Once you've completed the waiting week for the year, you don't have to go through it again until your benefit year ends.

Having worked construction for 30+ years, where winter layoffs were fairly common, Sometimes I'd work a day or two one week, none the next, three or four the week after that...yes, it "fucks up your unemployment" in that your checks will change weekly, but it doesn't cancel your benefits. You just notify them of how much you've earned and they make the appropriate deduction from your benefit check.

 

[slackerinabox]

uh oh... sorry to hear that.

iirc, you are the same guy that bought a house in NYC recently, right? this really sucks, but hey you see why I against buying a house now.

Thanks - yes, I recently bought a house in Brooklyn. I'm not too worried, my wife's salary and our rental income covers the mortgage. With severance and unemployment, we should be fine for 6 months, cutting corners of course. But I'm cooking all of our meals, deferred our student loans, and trimmed services to a bare minimum. It'll be rough, but we have a great support system (which I'm too proud to call on now, but 8 months from now...).

 

[slackerinabox]

Yes. Once you've completed the waiting week for the year, you don't have to go through it again until your benefit year ends.

Having worked construction for 30+ years, where winter layoffs were fairly common, Sometimes I'd work a day or two one week, none the next, three or four the week after that...yes, it "fucks up your unemployment" in that your checks will change weekly, but it doesn't cancel your benefits. You just notify them of how much you've earned and they make the appropriate deduction from your benefit check.

Outstanding - this is great news because spot work will really help me network, build a portfolio, and keep my mind from getting into "guess I'm going to watch game shows all day!" mode.

I signed up for unemployment yesterday and am on my wait week, so I'm a week away from really worrying about this. But it's very good to know while looking for work.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Good to hear you were prepared for this. Sounds like a paid vacation, enjoy. I've got myself setup to handle a situation just like this.

 

[BoomerD]

Good to hear you were prepared for this. Sounds like a paid vacation, enjoy. I've got myself setup to handle a situation just like this.

When we lived in Wyoming, I called unemployment, "Fishing for Dollars," because if I wasn't working...I was on a stream or river somewhere. :biggrin:

 

[slackerinabox]

Good to hear you were prepared for this. Sounds like a paid vacation, enjoy. I've got myself setup to handle a situation just like this.

I still have quite a bit to figure out and am a bit worried, being that this is my first time unemployed with a wife, house, and car, but that's just evidence that the last few years were very good to me. I'm trying not to think of it as time off but as a fork in the road, which makes it a bit more exciting.

Are you still out of work? I find offering to work for free has worked absurdly well in the 24 hours since I started the tactic (i.e. I'll finish one project as a trial) - 2 interviews pending so far, which is a nice start.

I'll vacation once I'm dead!

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

I still have quite a bit to figure out and am a bit worried, being that this is my first time unemployed with a wife, house, and car, but that's just evidence that the last few years were very good to me. I'm trying not to think of it as time off but as a fork in the road, which makes it a bit more exciting.

Are you still out of work? I find offering to work for free has worked absurdly well in the 24 hours since I started the tactic (i.e. I'll finish one project as a trial) - 2 interviews pending so far, which is a nice start.

I'll vacation once I'm dead!

No not me. Luckily I'm still working. I work in the oilfield and there aren't many of us left. I've seen hundreds of guys get laid off. I have been preparing myself any day to be laid off. It's either boom or bust. When it's booming though the money is kick ass.

 

[slackerinabox]

No not me. Luckily I'm still working. I work in the oilfield and there aren't many of us left. I've seen hundreds of guys get laid off. I have been preparing myself any day to be laid off. It's either boom or bust. When it's booming though the money is kick ass.

Working in an oilfield sounds much more exciting than living in a cubicle - good for you!

 

[pontifex]

when i was on unemployment, i could make like $150 a week without affecting my unemployment. I was working extremely part time with my dad for the township. basically i flagged cars while he cut down trees and shit.

basically you can make a percentage of your unemployment amount without hurting unemployment.

 

[Red Dawn]

Thanks - yes, I recently bought a house in Brooklyn. I'm not too worried, my wife's salary and our rental income covers the mortgage. With severance and unemployment, we should be fine for 6 months, cutting corners of course. But I'm cooking all of our meals, deferred our student loans, and trimmed services to a bare minimum. It'll be rough, but we have a great support system (which I'm too proud to call on now, but 8 months from now...).

Gonna give up the $100 a week weed habit?

 

[nick1985]

Gonna give up the $100 a week weed habit?

rofl

 

[slackerinabox]

Gonna give up the $100 a week weed habit?

Flushed my remaining stash after smoking through much of it this weekend. Weed and unemployment makes a terrible, terrible combination - and my wife would stab me. I've lived through the mistake of having it around during bad times...